Chapter Twenty-Five: What Kind of Man Are You?
Something was off—these two definitely had some serious issues.
For safety’s sake, Li Xiangyu decided to perform his signature song at the campus event.
“I’m Your Little Puppy.”
“Mr. Li Xiangyu, you can go on stage now.”
Two young women entered backstage—clearly students, and from their tone, it was obvious they were members of the student council.
“Hmph, this is my home turf!” Li Xiangyu stood up, slipped off his trench coat, and put on a pair of furry gloves.
Lin Ze watched as Li Xiangyu donned a short-sleeved hoodie with a dog’s head for a hood. From his chest to his stomach was an arched pink patch, matching his shorts, and his shoes were fuzzy too—the whole ensemble made him look like a cartoon puppy.
Lin Ze and Su Zitan exchanged a look. Words were unnecessary.
Clad in his costume, Li Xiangyu pulled the hood over his head and bounced happily toward the stage.
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
“Li Xiangyu! Li Xiangyu! Li Xiangyu!”
These voices came from a handful of students assigned by the counselor, leading the rest to join in.
Lin Ze and Su Zitan walked over to the wings to watch.
Under the plaza lights, Li Xiangyu’s heavy makeup now looked surprisingly natural on stage.
“Hello, everyone! Underclassmen and underclasswomen!” he called, pitching his voice to a sweet, boyish tone. “I’m your upperclassman, Li Xiangyu!”
“Xiangyu! Ah! I’m dying!”
“Xiangyu is so cute!”
Lin Ze felt a wave of nausea.
“This is too much…”
“Tonight, I’m bringing you my original song, ‘I’m Your Little Puppy!’”
With his headset mic on, Li Xiangyu started dancing the moment the music began.
“Hey! I’m your little puppy!”
“Woof woof woof woof—”
An intense, overwhelming sense of secondhand embarrassment swept through Su Zitan—her toes curled so hard in her shoes she almost tore through them.
[What… is this?! My ears!]
[Xiao Qian! Xiao Qian! Turn off the camera mic!]
[Aaah! Xiangyu is so adorable! See? This is real singing! He can dance and sing and still stay on pitch!]
Lin Ze sighed, reaching out to cover Su Zitan’s ears.
“Some art is like this. It may never be accepted by the masses.”
[Host is too savage!]
[Keep talking, I love hearing your commentary!]
Lin Ze didn’t cover his own ears; he listened quietly to Li Xiangyu’s song.
Only when the last “woof” faded did Lin Ze let go, shaking his head with some regret.
“To be fair, compared to other pop idols, Li Xiangyu’s fundamentals are much stronger. It’s just…”
Su Zitan caught his meaning, “It’s just, why sing something like this, right?”
“Exactly.”
[Mutual flattery? Lin really knows how to play the game.]
[Not really. Xiangyu started out singing love songs. I heard him back then—he was good.]
[Xiangyu is the best!]
When the cheers finally subsided, Li Xiangyu, panting, stretched out a hand backstage.
“Huff… Please… please welcome Lin Ze to the stage!”
Lin Ze didn’t budge.
The student council members behind him were already urging him on, but Lin Ze waved them off. “I’m not Lin Ze. Lin Ze is a handsome young man. I’m just a regular thirty-five-year-old man.”
There was a brief silence on stage. Then Li Xiangyu seemed to realize something.
“Let’s give it up for… Phoenix Park!”
Lin Ze nodded in satisfaction. “Zitan, want to come with me?”
“I’ll stay here. I want to see you on stage.”
He gently cupped her face and pressed a light kiss to her lips.
“Then I’m off!”
“Sing your heart out!”
Lin Ze took the microphone, grabbed Zhou Ke’s guitar, and walked on stage.
“Hello everyone, I’m Zhou Ke from Phoenix Park!”
Though the introduction was obviously false, the crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers.
“Lin Ze! Lin Ze!”
“What do you mean, Lin Ze? I’m Zhou Ke!”
He insisted, prompting laughter from those watching the live broadcast.
“Lin Ze, do you think you can beat me today?” Li Xiangyu called out, his voice high and dramatic.
Lin Ze frowned, switched off the mic, and muttered quietly, “That’s enough. Don’t mistake slop for a meal.”
Li Xiangyu stiffened, but didn’t show it.
Lin Ze switched on the mic again. “Tonight, I’m bringing you a sad song. The title… well, you’ll know by the end.”
The lights all focused on Lin Ze as he strummed Zhou Ke’s guitar. Li Xiangyu quietly retreated, leaving the stage.
“Kissing your hand.”
“Still leaning on your shoulder.”
“Letting you rest on my chest.”
“But that person is no longer me.”
Lin Ze sang with a deliberately blurred articulation, and though his style was odd, everyone below felt it was just right. It was as if hazy memories and the word regret were made for each other.
“My warmth, your coldness—love has turned to mist.”
“If love is drawn on a fogged-up window, is it blurrier, or is it clearer?”
Lin Ze raised his head, looking out at the crowd.
“What kind of man are you!”
“What kind of man!”
The audience fell silent—even the school leaders were dumbstruck.
Those lines… even though they were lyrics, it sounded like he was directly scolding Li Xiangyu, who’d just left the stage.
Li Xiangyu stood there in a daze, hands trembling.
[Is Lin Ze being a little too direct?]
[Has he lost his mind? A little sarcasm is enough, but this…]
[Lin Ze, you—@*#%…]
“What kind of man are you!”
“What kind of man!”
“Still loving her, but not daring to ask her to wait.”
“So be it. Just accept your fate.”
“She’ll meet a better man…”
Tears welled up in Li Xiangyu’s eyes.
He wrote this for me, didn’t he?
He must have!
At the side, Su Zitan gazed at the middle-aged man singing on stage, and suddenly, she understood.
She understood what Lin Ze meant yesterday—no matter how appearances change, as long as you look into the eyes, he will always be himself.
He will always be that summer afternoon.
The one sitting on the balcony, strumming a cheap guitar, singing love songs.
“Lin Ze!” Su Zitan shouted.
“I love you!”
Lin Ze heard her voice from the stage.
Silently, in his heart, he replied.
I love you too.